


Stardust

by lovelykanan



Category: BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Eventual Romance, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn, only like 2 tho don’t come for me, the hina/chisa is like a past thing sorry kids :(, this is for my thirsty lisasayo shippers i see u, will your faves die? yes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-16
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2019-10-29 17:07:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17812010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelykanan/pseuds/lovelykanan
Summary: When it came to extraordinary things, Sayo Hikawa thought she had seen it all. Well, as much as one can seen when they have a Sun God for a twin sister.'Such a respectable god such as yourself should not be messing about,' Sayo would tell her sister. However, one way or another she would find herself trapped in Hina Hikawa's adventures and 'one wrong move and that could have almost been a near death experience' - if they could die.So Sayo likes to think she has seen it all. She's seen the supernova's the Tsurumaki's are able to cause to their stars at the snap of a finger, and the way Hazawa-san cares for each and every planet as if they were her own. She's witnessed the Udagawa sisters' violent thunder storms, Minato-san's powerful tsunamis and Shirokane-san's gentle winds. Really, she's seen all that's really worth seeing.That is, until a girl fell from her moon.





	1. A Fallen Star

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to lisasayo multichap hell, we have cookies

The night of the incident is the night of the practice ball for the annual gathering of gods and demigods.

Sayo has a glass between her fingers, and Yukina is by her side like she is most nights. The ball around them continues to spiral, other gods and demigods socialising and enjoying themselves. The two sit to the side, however, preferring to sit quietly than to exchange fake smiles and empty greetings. Flowing dresses and ball gowns cover the ballroom, a colourful display of earthly fashion.

Yukina’s glass is long since finished, and Sayo can tell she’s debating whether or not to refill her glass again. She sighs again for umpteenth time, rolling the delicate glass between her fingers before glancing at Sayo again.

“This is annoying,” Yukina mutters, annoyance clearly having taken her face hours ago. She taps her foot impatiently, knowing that she won’t be relieved for another hour or so. “I don’t see the point of a practice ball, considering we have all attended at least 100 of these events. It’s all rather pointless, don’t you think?”

“Yes, although I understand the need to repeat such events for Tsurumaki-sama’s daughter and her accomplice Toyama-san.” She adds, sipping from her glass absentmindedly. Sayo thinks back to the first time the two had attended the annual gathering, disaster having followed the two wherever they went back then. She shudders, if only for a moment, and glances back to see Yukina doing the same.

“I suppose that is true...” After that, they fall back into their annoyed silence as they watch the rest of the gods and demigods mingle. Sayo glances around, searching the floor for a familiar face.

She spots her, Hina, socialising with the pink haired accomplice of hers, ball gown a similar blue to Sayo’s own. ‘It compliments your hair,’ their mother used to say, though she knows that deep down they all thought Hina looked nicer in it than Sayo.

Hina’s wearing one of Shirasagi-san’s old work, a gorgeous blue dress laced with diamonds and other glittery minerals. She would be able to spot her work from a mile away, as she herself still wears the dresses Shirasagi-san made for everyone in her youth.

Sayo wants to go over and speak with her twin, something she hasn’t done in a non-formal setting since centuries, but the bright sparkle in Hina’s eyes are what stop her.

Yukina pulls her attention away from her, pointing out the different outfits the gods have chosen to wear. Each outfit is carefully designed to represent each god’s power. (Hina, however, refuses to wear yellow as she wishes to match with “Onee-chan” like when they were children). Shirokane-san’s handmade outfits for her and the youngest Udagawa sister outshine them all, however. 

Her observing is cut short when Yukina, who had been turned her attention outside towards the Moon, calls out Sayo’s name and nudges her shoulder to grab her attention. Glancing over, she finds the scene as it had been a moment ago. The Moon high in a sky full of stars, reflecting the Sun’s light down to the Between.

However, there is something that catches her eye. For a few seconds, a black spot too large to be anything other than an object of sorts and too dark to be apart of the evening sky falls from the Moon.

Anything falling from the moon is inherently strange, and without Sayo to be notified of a planned drop so close to the Between— on the Between, is more strange. Sayo turns her head back to Yukina who has surveyed the room to see if anyone else had saw. To their luck, the rest of the gods had been too busy making small talk to pay attention to the happenings of the outside world.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to slip away for just a moment, no?” Sayo asks, though she and Yukina both know the answer by now. Yukina nods, gathering her coat and face mask, gesturing for Sayo to grab her things, too.

“I’m sure no one will mind. Besides, I do not enjoy our visits to the Between any more than you do. It would do us both good to leave the practice gathering a little early this time.” Yukina adds, placing her empty glass on the closet surface and walking towards the exit with Sayo behind her.

No one notices them slip out fo the ball, too caught up in their own little worlds to notice the two of them leave. It’s normal, as Sayo’s presence has never been as acknowledged as everyone else’s— her sister’s. She’s the god of the moon, only reflecting her light when Hina’s sun shines upon it.

It’s surprisingly easy to slip away, Sayo finds. She decides to bring the topic of “celestial security” up again at the next meeting, storing the information away for later. For now, she and Yukina focus on the unauthorised fallen object, and head towards the direction of its landing.

The fast paced walk is easy to navigate for experience Between travellers, the distortion of the up and down no longer bothering the two as they make their way towards the predicted landing spot. The purple and pink spirals of madness and bleeding leaks between the human realm and god realm that make up the Between once fascinating and confusing, but no longer startle Sayo and Yukina.

Finally, after an uneventful walk in the colourful field, they stumble upon a large crater in a meadow of what appears to be grass. In the middle lies a metal ball, large enough to fit something inside but not too small that it wouldn’t go unnoticed to the untrained eye if it were to fall from the sky. The ball appears to be made of metal, the same kind the demigods on the moon use to package unknown substances to Mother Marina. However, the ball is absent of the trademark Hikawa sticker.

Sayo glances towards Yukina, who takes the hint and slowly makes her way towards the metal ball. Sayo surveys the surrounding area, checking for any other things they haven’t spotted, and give Yukina an all clear. Yukina nods back, raises her hand and knocks on the metal ball.

“Hello?” Yukina tries, though Sayo sees it pointless. Nothing happens for a moment, and Yukina takes a step back, willing herself not to knock again. There’s a tense moment of silence, where both await for something— anything to happen. Sayo thinks she hears a cricket or two (it’s not unlikely at this hour, she reasons).

Before Yukina can step forward and knock again (pointless), the ball begins to roll forward until a door of sorts in facing the two girls. Yukina steps back, placing herself by Sayo’s side again and allowing the metal ball to roll about. The door opens, and Sayo half expects smoke from one of the cheesy human movies Hina used to watch with Shirasagi-san, but the door simply opens.

It isn’t clear for a moment, but something alive and moving stumbles out of the metal ball. It only takes a moment, though, for Sayo to recognise that the shape falling from the metal ball is humanoid. She sees the body fall, but Yukina acts faster, running to catch the humanoid creature in her arms.

The human (god? demigod? Sayo isn’t sure) opens their eyes, slowly at first, as if only just having woke up. Perhaps that was the case, with the stumbling out of the metal ball. As they wake, they begin to take in their surroundings, and confusion sets in on their face. They move to sit up, and Yukina eases them on to the purple grass around them.

“W-Where am I?” They ask, voice raw and tired. Sayo comes to the conclusion that from the long, wild, unbrushed locks of brown hair that whoever the humanoid being is is most likely female. “W-Who are you?”

“You’re on the Between, I am Yukina Minato, god of the Oceans and Earthly Waters and that is Sayo Hikawa, god of the Moon.” The girl sits still, taking everything in like a newborn.

“Wait— Minato-san! You can’t just tell her that. What if she’s human?” Sayo says, recalling the last time Hina introduced herself as the god of the Sun upon their last visit to the human realm.

“Sayo, if she were human, she would have already bursted by now. She’s of celestial being.” Sayo doesn’t understand how Yukina can remain so casual yet serious about these situations, but she realises that Yukina’s point is correct. The girl would be long gone if she was human.

“If that’s the case then,” Sayo starts, making her way towards the girl sitting on the grass. She’s clutching her hands, now, trying to wake up bit by bit. “What exactly are you?”

She looks up, eyes scrambling to find an answering in her mind. “I... I’m not sure... right now,” is all she can answer with, a weak chuckle at the end as she stares back down at her laced fingers.

“Do you have a name? Do you know where you’re from? Why you were using the moon drop without permission from higher authority?” Yukina asks, and Sayo thinks that maybe she’s asking too much at once, judging from the girl’s perplexed expression.

“Minato-san, maybe you should—“

“I think,” the girl cuts in. “I think my name is... Lisa. It’s written on my hand.” She lifts up her hand to show her left palm, a scribbled “LISA” written in sloppy and rushed handwriting. Yukina stares at the name, something clicking in her mind that Sayo’s simply not getting.

“Lisa... that’s the same name as— no, that can’t be right.” Yukina reaches out to touch the hand, crouching down to Lisa’s level and studying the name. Sayo thinks that maybe something should click upon hearing the name, as Yukina’s mind has made the connection, but nothing appears to make any importance to her. Yukina breaks her gaze away from Lisa’s hand, looking towards Sayo again. “Sayo, we need to take Lisa to the Palace.”

“The Palace? Minato-san, are you sure she’s not dangerous?” Sayo crouches down so that the three are on the same level, staring Yukina in the eye as if to detect even a hint of hesitation— something. But Sayo finds nothing, and like always Yukina is 100% serious about this.

“I’m sure, Sayo. If any of the other gods find an unauthorised celestial being on the Between, of all places, we’ll be in big trouble. And since she fell from your moon, you’ll take the blame.” Yukina points her finger to Sayo’s chest, as if to emphasise how much trouble Sayo could get in.

Lisa, sitting ever so quite and confused in front of them, fakes a cough to bring their attention back to her. “Not to uh, break anything up but... what exactly am I doing here?” 

Sayo spares a glance at Lisa before turning to Yukina again, the two nodding in understanding before Sayo stands to her full height again. She raises a hand silently, index and middle finger raised, before she spins her hand around in a circle. Before long, a portal of sorts appear in front of the three girls.

Lisa, now more confused than before, looks to Yukina for answers. However, she is met with the girl searching her coat pockets until she finds a small bag tied together with a golden string. Yukina opens it, and gathers what appears to be a glittery dust of sorts in her palm.

“H-Hey, what is that?” Sayo knows how this goes, she’s seen it twice, but the cold stare in Yukina’s eyes is something she’d rather miss. Yukina shushes the girl, blowing the glitter powder towards Lisa until it sprinkles itself upon her face. Lisa wrinkles her nose a little, as if to sneeze, but grows drowsy far too quickly.

Soon enough, Lisa is fully asleep on the weird grass like ground of the Between, and Yukina hefts Lisa’s limp body up and leans Lisa against her shoulder. Sayo spares a glance back at Yukina, but quickly averts her eyes to focus on keeping the portal open.

“Sayo, it’s fine. She’s just asleep.” Sayo knows this, but refuses to actually acknowledge the look on Yukina’s face.

“She probably would’ve agreed to come with us if we promised her answers, Minato-san.” Though, Yukina pays no mind to Sayo’s comment, already hefting herself and the strange celestial body through the portal to where the Palace lives. Sayo sighs, and after a few seconds, she spins her wrist faster to hold the portal open long enough for herself to walk through.

When the portal closes, all that remains in the purple field is the metal ball and the particles of glittery sleep dust.


	2. A Prisoner of the Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is unedited trash but it's for the sayolisa stans. i'll feed u

Lisa wakes up feeling strangely refreshed.   
  
Her eyes are blurry as they adjust to the morning light, and the comfort of the bed she sleeps in draws her every so slowly back to the land of dreams. She’s surrounded by mountains of comfort, fluffy pillows and a soft mattress. It’s a heaven, of sorts, one she could doze off in for years. It’s blissfully quiet, too. If it weren’t for the slight headache, it would’ve been perfect.   
  
But then, as all good things do, it comes to an end in the form of rushing memories. The girls from the previous night (day? Lisa wasn’t sure) and the strange hair and breathtaking outfits, the leaky world and the sleep powder. She realises that, the girls has knocked her out to kidnapped her, and a feeling that’s almost anger rises within her. However, the urgent need for some answers keeps the raw emotions at bay.   
  
She finds herself in a literal fortress of pillows and blankets, built to provide the utmost comfort. Gathering the will to leave the heaven bed, Lisa eventually crawls her way through the mountains of fabric and feathers and onto the hard marble floor. Standing to her full height, Lisa realises that she’s no longer in the clothes that she remembers being in last. Instead, she’s dressed in a soft, reddish brown gown with ever so tiny gems laced into the hem. The attention to detail seems like far too much for a simple sleeping robe (or perhaps she was not suppose to sleep in this, she thinks), but she brushes it off because everything else seems to be elegant and detailed, too.   
  
The entire room is large and elegant, covered in paintings of constellations and galaxies. Each connection of stars is painted ever so carefully, each detail exact to the point that Lisa thinks it must have taken years to paint. Everything is perfect, except for the names in a foreign language that Lisa cannot decipher. The walls are littered with paintings of each galaxy, ranging between size, shape and colour, and it’s breathtaking. White pillars divide the room into sections, and in between the two pillars the bed faces is a white and decorated door.   
  
She feels out of place, like she doesn’t belong in such an elegant room. A fish out of water, of sorts. A moderate piece of art in a museum of perfect artwork and sculpture. Lisa walks towards the door, finding the elegant flow of her gown ever so empowering. Upon reaching the door, she finds there’s tiny words written around the frame in a language Lisa cannot read.

 

“Figures, that a place this fancy would have ancient language printed onto it’s walls.” She sighs to herself, continuing to feel more and more lost and out of place. Pushing it aside for the moment, Lisa pushes open the door to find a large and wide corridor filled with paintings of stars and planets.

 

It’s breathtaking, really, but Lisa doesn’t have time to marvel at every little detail the place has to offer. Or perhaps she does; she doesn’t really know. Continuing forward, she finds herself wandering the corridor until she hears the rumbles of conversation that grows louder the closer she gets to an upcoming turn off. Feeling the need to hide, Lisa makes sure to quieten her steps until she reaches the corner, spying in on the conversation.   
  
“What do you mean... she fell? From... the moon?” The first voice belongs to a shy looking girl with dark and well kept hair. Her hand is gripped onto her arm, trying to close in on herself, and it makes Lisa feel a bit happier that she’s not the only one overwhelmed in this castle of sorts.   
  
“It means just that, Rinko. She fell from Sayo’s moon, so we took her in.” The second voice she recognises as one of the girls from the previous night. The same silvery grey hair sits against her back, and her expression remains ever so serious. She does feel weird about it all, though. Eavesdropping on a conversation about herself leaves an unsettling feeling in her stomach.   
  
“The entire situation is strange, as I know Matsubara-san would never let anything past undetected. And to think something so large got through…” The final girl is also from the previous night. Lisa immediately recognises the strange, teal hair and the strange warmth to the sharpness of her voice. Lisa doesn’t remember her name, but perhaps she was never told her name.

  
“It wasn’t technology of our own. It may have been an incredibly older model from our parents’ time, but I didn’t recognise it. The symbols and patterns are unfamiliar.” The girl with silver hair - what was her name again? - walks towards the group, body language the most serious out of the three of them.

  
“Perhaps... that’s why it wasn’t detected? Because we couldn’t recognise... the technology?” The shyest asks, eyes flickering around the room to avoid direct eye contact.   
  
“Perhaps. Though I’ll notify Matsubara-san and Okusawa-san to look further into this and to pinpoint the machine.” The other girl from the previous night answers, moving a lock of her teal hair behind her back.   
  
“But what... will we do with—“ The girl stops, noticing Lisa and pointing her out to the group. Lisa feels like she’s been caught doing something bad, and takes this moment to step out into the room properly.   
  
“How did you sleep?” The silver haired girl asks, face losing just a touch of its seriousness. She feels intimidated, even though she’s sure that the girl is shorter than everyone else in the room.   
  
“Ah... the bed was nice? I’m still very confused about who you are and where I am...” She answers, feeling out of place once again. The three in front of her look put together well, each wearing a gown similar to her own, except in what appears to be colours closer to their own hair.    
  
“Yukina-san... Is she-“ The one donning a black gown asks, turning towards the shortest with a worried expression.   
  
“She’s not human, Rinko.” Yukina-san - Yukina - answers, turning to Rinko to reassure her of something that Lisa isn’t too sure of.

 

“So that means…” Rinko starts, but the last girl starts to walk towards Lisa with confidence in her stride. 

 

“Lisa-san, my name is Sayo Hikawa.” Sayo announces, pointing an index finger towards her chest.. “This  is Yukina Minato, who was with me when we found you last night. And this is Rinko Shirokane.” She points to the other two girls, who seem startled at Sayo’s perhaps bold gesture.

 

“Ah!... Hikawa-san-” Rinko starts, but stops when Sayo turns to look back at her.

 

“N-Nice to meet you all!” Lisa manages to get out, feeling evening more shy and out of place in the midsts of three beautiful and put together girls.

 

“N-Nice to… meet you… too.” Rinko stutters out, and Lisa thinks she sympathises with the girl, as she too is shy to meet new people with such bizarre circumstances.

 

“I’m assuming you still want to know what all of this is, no? Or perhaps things are more clear to you now that you’ve rested.” Yukina steps forward, next to Sayo, and Lisa remembers a similar expression on her face the night before.

 

“Ahah… For the most part I’m still confused, but I would like to who you guys are and who I myself am. And whatever ‘celestial being’ has to do with me not ‘bursting’ last night.” Lisa answers, trying to straighten herself and be more confident.

 

“Yes, I suppose some explaining is due.” Sayo says, and Lisa feels relieved that she’ll finally get some answers. Bring her full attention towards Sayo, Lisa prepares herself for whatever strange reasoning she’s about to hear.

 

“I, Sayo Hikawa, am the God of the planet Earth’s Moon. My job is to please the people of Earth and keep the Moon itself in line. I descend from the first generation line of Gods.” Sayo explains, pointing towards herself with her index finger again, and it certainly wasn’t what Lisa was expecting.

 

“Yukina Minato is the God of Earth’s Oceans. She keeps the oceans alive and creates destruction when due. She falls under Hazawa-san and I’s joint rule.” Sayo continues, shifting her finger towards Yukina. When Lisa glances over, she’s met with a harsh and calculating gaze that frightens her slightly.

 

“Rinko Shirokane is the God of Earth’s Winds. She controls all the winds on Earth. She falls under Hazawa-san’s rule.” Finally shifting her finger towards Rinko, Lisa moves her gaze to meet Rinko’s. Upon eye contact however, Rinko glances away and closes in on herself.

 

“Our purpose as Gods is to keep the people of Earth happy. The more people who believe in us and are happy with us, the stronger we are. Do you have any questions, Lisa-san?” Sayo continues to explain, and Lisa is too caught up with the idea of talking to actual Gods that she almost forgets to ask questions. Almost.

 

“Uh… So, all of you are Gods? Does that mean you have like… superpowers or something?” Lisa asks, having seemingly forgotten exactly how God's work, but not what they are.

 

“They’re not ‘superpowers’. They’re more like a kind of magic that runs through someone’s veins.” Sayo explains, and it doesn’t really make sense to Lisa, but she’ll roll with it.

 

“So you’re like magical creatures?” 

 

“Just Gods.” Yukina answers this time, eyes staring her down like she’s judging her soul.

 

“Do all Gods have powers?” Lisa asks, turning towards Sayo for answers to escape Yukina’s death stare.

 

“To some degree, yes. However, some smaller Gods are considered ‘Demigods’ and are often resulted from the affair of a God and a Mortal. Some Gods take some of these Demigods on as apprentices.” Sayo answers, easily brushing it off like the fact that the three elegant and gorgeous girls - Gods - in front of her aren’t magical beings that control certain aspects of the universe.

 

“Do you have an apprentice, Sayo?” Lisa asks, genuinely curious to find the answer. She could picture Sayo teaching someone and mentoring them through whatever life Gods live.

 

“Eh? N-No…” Sayo stammers, face growing red and hot. It surprises Lisa, as it looks surprisingly human on Sayo. However, the moment is gone as Sayo tries to compose herself. “I don’t have time for such things…”

 

“Why’s that?” 

 

“Gods spend the majority of their time pleasing humans. Sayo comes from the first generation line of Gods, and is considered a powerhouse amongst Gods. Sayo doesn’t have the time to teach a Demigod.” Yukina answers for Sayo, who still seems to be trying to control the blush spreading across her face. Yukina’s words are cold and harsh, but for some reason Lisa finds that they don’t really have much affect.

 

“B-But Hina-san… she has two apprentices…” Rinko says, quietly entering the conversation. However, both Yukina and Sayo turn to face and glare at Rinko a little too quickly, to which she covers her mouth with her hands and mutters out an “I’m sorry.”

 

The air grows tense, and Lisa can’t help but wonder who this Hina is and why the Gods in front of her do not seem to like her. Sensing that the air around them needs to change, Lisa instead asks another question to direct the girls away from their current topic.

 

“Ah… May I ask, where exactly is this place?” She asks shyly, smiling politely and trying not to annoy the girls any further. To her luck however, the girls have collected themselves and the indimadating air is back.

 

“This is the Hikawa Family’s Second Palace. For the most part, it’s a giant castle that orbits the Moon and is invisible to the human eye.” Sayo answers, having composed herself. Lisa finds herself surprised that she’s orbiting the Moon itself. She’d expected to be in some remote location, so it comes as a surprise.

 

“Second Palace?” Lisa asks, curious that they aren’t at the First Palace. If Sayo is considered a powerhouse God, why is she in a “Second” Palace?

 

“Yes. My twin sister Hina, God of the Earth’s Sun and this solar system’s center star, owns the first Palace. It orbits around the Sun.” Sayo answers, casting her gaze down to hide her darkening eyes.

 

_ Ah… So that’s who Hina is. _

 

“I see. So… we’re in space?” Lisa asks, glancing around to confirm only to find that the room had no windows and only walls decorated with constellations and planets like the room she had woken up in had been. It’s an annoy kind of beautiful.

 

“I suppose you could say that.” Yukina answers.

 

“I feel like there’s a lot more to it all then just that, isn’t there?” Lisa knows there’s more. She can see it in the way the girls glance towards the walls after explaining something to her. It makes her feel odd, left out, or something.

 

“Yes, but I’m afraid that if we tell you any more than this right now it’ll go over your head.” Sayo says, shaking her head and relaxing.

 

“Then… why don’t you teach me?” Lisa aks, only realising after the words are out of her mouth how bizarre it might sound to someone like Sayo.

 

“Excuse me?” Sayo asks, expression changing into a mix of surprise and shock.

 

“Well, I still have no idea who I am, and from what I’ve gathered I’m not really a ‘human’ so I doubt I’d be able to go to wherever this ‘Earth’ is. Plus, I don’t think I’d know where else to go. So why don’t you keep me here and you can teach me the ways of your world? How everything works and all.” Lisa answers, and it makes sense to herself. She really doesn’t know how the world works, so there really isn’t anywhere else for her to go.

 

“It would… help to keep Marina-san… away.” Rinko says, this time not feeling like she’s said something bad. Lisa takes note of this, storing it away for something she isn’t sure of just yet.

 

“True. And if Lisa is here, then we can keep her out of trouble for flying an unauthorised machine onto and from the Moon.” Yukina agrees, nodding her head and turning towards Sayo.

 

“I did what?” Lisa asks, a little shocked as she doesn’t remember anything remotely close to doing that. She turns to Sayo for answers, but is only met with determination set in her eyes. She wonders if it’s too late to return to the ship she came from.

 

“Then I guess it’s decided. Lisa-san, from this moment onward, you shall be my apprentice and I shall teach you are ways of life here as Gods.” Sayo announces, and the statement takes almost everyone aback for a moment.

 

“Apprentice?!” Rinko gasps, bringing her hands towards her chest to hold onto them.

 

“Hina has two, and I won’t let myself be outdone by my sister.” Sayo says, turning towards the doors on the other side of the room and gesturing for everyone to follow. Noticing that Lisa is still standing where she was, Sayo turns back to directly ask Lisa. “Come this way, you have much to learn, Lisa-san.”

 

Lisa can’t find any reason to not follow Sayo.

 

* * *

 

 

The Hikawa First Palace is a vibrant place, Aya realises.

 

Hina Hikawa had taken her as an apprentice after the disappearance of Chisato Shirasagi, and shortly after had taken on another apprentice, Himari Uehara. Both of them had been Demigods under the sun, so Aya sometimes sees Himari as competition. It’s uncommon for a god of such high status to take on more than one apprentice at a time, and for Hina herself to handle them two of them so well makes the three of them stand out even more.

 

Aya sometimes finds herself wondering while she walks the halls of the Palace, what would happen if Himari or herself were to slip up. With the Hikawa family so largely monitored by Gods as it is, even the tiniest fault in how the apprentices present themselves could result in something catastrophic for the Hikawa families already tainted reputation. Aya finds herself hoping that if that were to occur, Himari would be the one at fault.

 

She feels bad, because Himari is a nice Demigod and doesn’t deserve to be pushed down to second like that, but Aya’s worked so hard to earn just an apprentice status that she’d do anything to keep it. After fighting her way to stand out the most, be the vibrant Demigod of the Sun, she’s finally been accepted as Hina’s apprentice only for Hina to accept another alongside her.

 

It’s frustrating.

 

Aya won’t let herself fall behind.

 

“Aya-chan? Aya-chan? Hey.. you aren’t even listening.” Aya’s snapped out of her thoughts and is met with a pouting Sun God looking down at her from her throne. The throne itself is bright, and Aya imagines that it would contrast the throne in the Second Palace nicely. She’s never seen the second Palace, however, only heard Hina’s stories.

 

“Ah! S-Sorry, Hina-chan… What was it you were saying?” She says, taking a moment to glance around the room and check her surroundings. No one else except the two of them are in the throne room, so she is met with the castle’s bright and vibrant walls. She’s been alone many times with Hina, so she doesn’t know exactly why she still feels uneasy when it’s just the two of them.

 

“Jeez, you’re so out of it today. I was telling you that we have to schedule the repeat practice party for the Gathering.” Hina announces, lazily tracing her finger around the arm of the throne, a bored look taking over her face.

 

“Eh? Why are we having a repeat of the practice ball?” Aya had been sure that everyone had been there the previous night, to make sure this exact scenario wouldn’t happen. Every God (save a select few) hated the practice balls, so to have another would only cause inconvenience.

 

“You didn’t know? Onee-chan and Yukina-san left the party early and missed half of it, which means we have to have a repeat sometime in the next 3 months.” Hina continues, her eyes missing the usual spark whenever Hina talks about her older sister.

 

“They did?! But that’s so unlike Sayo-san and Yukina-san… Also, you have to stop calling the ball a ‘party’, Hina-chan.” It was odd for such respected Gods like Sayo and Yukina to even consider leaving, so Aya thinks that their reason must be important.

 

“Eh? Why?” Hina asks, lifting her head up and tilting it. She’s no longer upset by the looks of things, but Aya is still careful with the way she approaches Hina and rest a hand against the hand that had stopped tracing the arm of the throne.

 

“I don’t think it’ll sit well with the older Gods if you call a great traditional ball a ‘party’.”

 

“Mmm, well I guess I just won’t call it a ‘party’ in front of them then!” Hina’s smiling now, and Aya always gets so overwhelmed whenever the God beams at her. It’s blinding, like the sun, and perhaps that’s why Hina was blessed with the gifts from the Sun and not the Moon like her sister was.

 

“I-I guess so…” Aya whispers, intending to back away a little but finding herself clinging to Hina’s hand and taking it into her own instead. Like always, Hina’s hands are warm, and perhaps that’s just a natural part of being a Sun God.

 

“Ah! Look, look! Tsugu-chan wants me to look over the Milky Way with her again! Sorry to cut our visit short, Aya-chan. We can catch up for tea together with- we can have tea together tomorrow, yeah?” Hina’s smile is back again, but Aya can see the hurt lurking beneath it. She won’t mention it though - no one ever mentions it. Instead, she nods her head and smiles like she’d practice.

 

“Yeah, that sounds nice, Hina-chan.”

 

* * *

 

“So, what exactly makes humans so important? Like, why must Gods make them happy and all?” Lisa asks, lazily twirling a feather quill between her fingers. Sayo turns to look down again, tired of having to explain the same things over and over.

 

“I’ve explained this, haven’t I?” She’s only a little frustrated, and filling Lisa in on the important dot points of their history and culture is necessary if she’s going to take her on as an apprentice. Although she understands that Lisa may take a while to understand the exact concept of Gods, it’s still… frustrating.

 

“I think so, but it’s a little confusing. Why create something that relies on others to exist?” Lisa asks, and Sayo feels like she’s about to slap herself in the face. She doesn’t, because that would be unsightly and Sayo has too much respect for herself to be undone by simply teaching.

 

“A lot of things rely on another to exist. Humans themselves rely on many things to live, so Gods relying on how much a human believes in them and are happy with them makes sense. If the humans hated us, why should we exist?” Sayo explains, pointing to the textbook she’s placed in front of Lisa and gesturing for Lisa to write it down with the quill. She doesn’t, instead opting to ask more questions and press on further.

 

“Doesn’t that cause problems though?”

 

“I suppose so. Many Gods have had nasty rumours spread about them which led to the humans losing faith in them. A main powerhouse went missing because of rumours that they bring war down onto humans for no reason, which led humans to distrust the God and can even lead some to destroy a God’s worship shrine.” Thinking back on it, Sayo remembers a time when her parents’ worried that their shrines would be destroyed when the humans discovered that the universe did not center around themselves.

 

“Rumour? What’s that?” Lisa asks, and Sayo remembers that if Lisa doesn’t know who she is, then even some things like advanced vocabulary would be forgotten as well. It’s not as frustrating as Sayo imagines.

 

“Ah… I suppose if you do not remember yourself then some other memories must be fuzzy too.” She says, mostly to herself. “To break it down simply, a rumour is like a story that isn’t true.”

 

“How so?”

 

“Well, imagine that I took the quill in front of you and broke it. But then, I went around telling the entire Palace that you broke it. If I word the story strong enough, then the audience will believe the rumour and think it’s true - which in this case would be you breaking the pen when you didn’t.” Sayo picks up the quill to bring emphasis to her point, before gently placing it back in Lisa’s hand.

 

“Is that what happened to the God? Everyone started to believe that they did something they didn’t?” Lisa asks, and for a flicker of a moment it startles Sayo how quickly Lisa switches question.

 

“Yes. The humans started to believe that Wakamiya-san, the God of War and Death, brought war upon innocent humans for fun. The rumour spread so well becauses of unfortunate timing, as the humans were dealing with the aftermath and destruction of a devastating war and blamed Wakamiya-san for all their troubles, despite her having no part in the war except to control it from afar. They destroyed her shrine, which meant the humans had no secure place to worship her.” She explains, feeling a wave of emotion wash over herself whenever she thinks back to Wakamiya-san and how young she had been.

 

“Wakamiya-san? Who’s that?” Lisa’s head tilts, and this time she looks ready to write down the answer Sayo gives her. Suppressing the emotion - whatever it is - down, she tilts her head back up to answer her.

 

“Eve Wakamiya was the God of War and Death. She’s a little younger than myself, and passionately believed in the power of ‘Bushido’. Her and her apprentice Maya Yamato went missing a few centuries after our Great War.” Sayo continues, trying to press down and squash the feelings that are trying to reach the surface. It's been centuries, so why does she still feel this way?

 

“Ah, that’s unfortunate. Wait, Great War? Do you mean…?” Lisa brings all her attention towards Sayo, looking for some explanation. She supposes the topic would eventually come up sooner or later, so she might as well explain it to Lisa. 

 

“Yes. A long time ago, when I was a child and training to take over from my mother as God of the Moon, a war broke out across all the gods concerning the death of Marina-sama’s only heir. At the time, the Tsurumaki Spear had been missing, which placed the blame on a major powerhouse, the Tsurumaki Family who are Gods of the Stars.

 

“Gods cannot die easily. Only three celestial objects are known to be capable of murdering a God, and all are locked away in remote locations that only the head of the object’s designated family know of. These objects are deadly, and are the cause of more than half of the previous generation’s death.

 

“The first object is the Tsurumaki Spear, which only Kokoro Tsurumaki’s father Tsurumaki-sama knowns the location of. It is a celestial spear designed to obliterate the core of any God it strikes through. Death is irreversible.” Sayo explains, eyes darkening slightly only slightly when mentioning the Spear. She doubts Lisa notices.

 

“The second object is the Hazawa Hammer, which Tsugumi Hazawa, God of Planets knows the location of. It is a magical Hammer that decides the fate of a God by judging their entire life and deciding if they are worthy. Death is irreversible.

 

“The final object is the Shirokane Guillotine, and belongs to Shirokane-san’s father Shirokane-sama. Its purpose is to be used after the Hazawa Hammer has decided a God’s fate. Although its original purpose was to be used in combo with the Hammer, it can be used to kill a God without the judgment of the hammer. Death is irreversible.” Sayo finishes, letting Lisa take a moment to process and ask more questions.

 

“Sayo… D-Did your parents-” Lisa asks, and Sayo had expected this question.

 

“Yes. Both my parents were murdered in the Great War by the Tsurumaki Spear and died heroically in battle. I took over position as God of the Moon soon after my mother passed.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Lisa whispers, voice gently dropping to a softer level and eyes trying to find somewhere to look.

 

“It’s fine. It was centuries ago, anyway.” Sayo answers. She’s never been good with answering ‘I’m sorry’, so she tries to shut the conversation down as quickly as she can. “I still have more to teach, but I think that should be enough for today. Otherwise it would all go over your head.”

 

“I guess so. Then, we’ll meet here again tomorrow?” Lisa asks, twirling a lock of her hair as she stands and stretches her back.

 

“I have important matters to attend to tomorrow, but the day after I can teach you again.”

 

“That works, considering I have no other plans that I remember.” Lisa smiles, and Sayo finds herself having to turn away quickly and walk towards the door quicker than she needs to.

 

“Then, I’ll see you for dinner, Lisa-san.” Sayo throws over her shoulder, trying to get away and sort through her emotions before dinner.

 

* * *

 

 

Three girls gather in the hidden corners of the Hikawa First Palace, a dark yellow shadow hiding the three from immediate sight. The twisting walls of the Palace curve and allow a small alleyway, a passage, a gap in the castle’s formidable walls. One girl, a short and slightly chubby girl with an apprentice’s badge on her left sleeve, stands with her back to the main entrance. Almost hidden, if not for her pink hair that stands out from the rest. The girl is confronted by two others, intimidating and fearsome.

 

“What I am about to say must not find it’s to Tsugu.” The girl with a red streak in otherwise black hair whispers, frowning to the floor. There’s a look of concern in her eyes, a small hurt breaking its way through for just a glimpse. The girl next to her is more laid back, eyes lazy and hair bright and grey, yet still finding a way to intimidate the apprentice.

 

“Eh? Ran... Why?” The apprentice asks, tilting her head to the side for emphasis. Her pinkish hari sways, tied in two low pigtails that jump and follow her every move. The girl with the red streak - Ran - steps forward to dominant the room, tilting her chin upward and her eyes down.

 

“In the grand scheme of things, getting Tsugu involved would only complicate things. It’s best if Tsugu isn’t apart of this.” The girl they speak of, Tsugu, is held like a sacred relic of innocence. It’s obvious, as the three girls’ eyes all flash with a sign of guilt and hurt.

 

“Our dear Tsugu must never be tainted~” The laid back girl sing-songs, moving her hand to rest in front of her face, curling a bit. The girl appears to be joking, but her eyes try to hide the waves of what seems to be guilt, too.

 

“I-I guess you’re right... “ The girl tugs on her apprentice badge, feeling out of place in her own skin. The sense of doing something bad washing over her, and suddenly she feels the urge to double check her surroundings. She doesn’t though, staying put and standing her ground.

 

“What we’re going to do…” Ran whispers, standing closer to the apprentice. She covers the space around the girl’s ear and her own mouth with a hand, whispering like an elementary child spilling a secret. Once the words tumble out, the apprentice’s eyes widen and her hands fly to cover her mouth. Shocked, she takes a step backward.

 

“What?!” She shakes her head, trying to process the words in her mind. Ran and the girl beside her only nod their heads, staying silent for the most part. The air around them seems to tighten, or perhaps only for the apprentice. Stepping forward, she readies herself. “You can’t be serious!”

 

“It’s the only way, Hii-chan.” The girl by Ran’s side speaks up, losing all lazy exterior and letting a serious and out of place expression slip past. She steps forward, reaching a hand out to stoke the apprentice Hii-chan’s head lovingly, trying to soothe the girl. It doesn’t do much, though she moves to fully embrace the girl anyway.

 

“B-But that’s…! It’s like stabbing ourselves in the back! I can’t do that to Marina-san! After all she’s done for us...” Hii-chan exclaims, tears collecting themself in the corners of her eyes. She moves both hands to her mouth, trying to silence the small sobs that escape at just the thought of Ran’s words.

 

“If we do nothing, tha same will happen to us, sooner or later. She’ll turn her back on lower grading Gods like us, and start anew with the first gen Gods.” Ran explains, finally stepping forward to join Hii-chan and her companion. She lowers her voice, expression serious and somewhat losing the earlier dominance and frightening exterior.

 

“Does it scare you, Hii-chan?” The girl stroking her hair asks, and at this Hii-chan tilts her head upward to look her right in the eye. She finds that the girl’s expression is dead serious, no faux-laziness to be found. Something twist in Hii-chan’s stomach, and she pushes herself away from the embrace if only a little.

 

“Well, of course! How is that even a question?” She shouts, baffled that the girls would even suggest that perhaps not being scared of death was an option. To think that one would be fine with being wiped out in favour of the powerhouses of the world. It’s unfair, scary and Hii-chan hates it.

 

“Then you want her to stop, right Himari?” It’s Ran this time who poses the question to Hii-chan - Himari. She steps forward, trying to intimate Himari into submission. However, she refuses to let herself give into whatever Ran is pulling.

 

“I… She hasn’t done anything to me, Ran-!” Himari shouts this time, trying to convey her emotions before eventually getting cut off.

 

“I knew you wouldn’t believe us.” Ran sighs, shaking her head and backing off. Her companion follows suit, and two begin to walk towards the alleyway exit. Ran stops, however, to look back over her shoulder. “Sooner or later you’ll see it, and when you do you’re free to join us.”

 

“Stay safe, Hii-chan.” The two walk away this time, fading to the dark shadows of the normally vibrant and bright Palace.

 

“W-Wait, Moca! Ran-!” Himari shouts, extending her hand to reach out to the two. However, she finds herself falling short, letting her hand fall to her side and casting her eyes down so she doesn’t have to look where Ran and Moca once stood. Turning around, the girl walks towards the other exit of the alleyway, this one towards the vibrant and colourful side of the Palace walls.

 

Soon enough, the three are gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> today you've met: lesbians!

**Author's Note:**

> don’t lie we all wanted moon god sayo.
> 
> the girls don’t actually represent any important gods in mythology and all that, their purpose in this universe is to serve the human race and make them happy. which means i can have as many pointless gods as i want.
> 
> this fic is really self indulgent which means i will 100% make myself both ridiculously giddy and sad while writing this. please fasten your seatbelts this will be a long ride.


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